


Just a Murmur

by ValmureEld



Series: Team Succeed or Die Trying [1]
Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Alucard is pretty sure the humans following him around are going to trip and break or something, Anatomy, Banter, Concern, Cuddling, Gen, Heartbeat, Heartbeats, Humor, Hybrids, Sypha worries and pretends she isn't, Trevor is difficult with everyone, Vampires, it's headcannon time, part human, self indulgent, team fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 10:10:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11965224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValmureEld/pseuds/ValmureEld
Summary: Trevor has an internal quirk that makes him very, very easy for Alucard to identify. Sypha worries and the boys butt heads. Typical night on the road for team Succeed or Die Trying.





	Just a Murmur

**Author's Note:**

> My antatomy-fixated brain decided my new favorite pseudo assassin-witcher Trevor Belmont has a harmless arrhythmia and I like writing cuddling and banter so here we are. 
> 
> Also I find hybrids fascinating and wanted to mess around with the implications of Alucard's ancestry. Didn't find much in the way of cannon so I made up some of my own. 
> 
> EDIT: My lovely friend BlueNeutrino pointed out that what I wrote Trevor having isn't a murmur so much as an arrhythmia, but I like the title so the title stays. 
> 
> I'm a baby in the Castlevania fandom and haven't played any of the games, so until that changes all my stuff is based on the Netflix series.

“It's him.”

“How can you be sure?”

“His heart is the loudest I've ever had the misfortune to keep company with, and yet it still doesn't maintain correct time. It's most certainly him.”

Sypha's eyebrows raised in alarm, dropping her hands and letting the light extinguish as Trevor rounded the corner. He glanced at her and then at Alucard.

“What? Have I got something on my face?”

Alucard just shrugged and turned around, melting into the dark and back to their camp. Sypha glanced at Trevor, suddenly worried at the vampire's implications. Trevor looked healthy, especially when he wasn't drinking, but she couldn't hear the blood moving through his body the way their guide could. What if he had something wrong that they didn't know of, something deep inside? 

Trevor gave her a strange look and she broke eye contact, forcing herself not to furtively watch how he moved all the way back to camp.

“Alright, I was kidding but is something on my face?” he asked, running a hand over his mouth. “You're freaking me out staring like that.”

“It—it's nothing,” Sypha said, crossing her arms and wondering if she should be working on some kind of healing spell. Something that could balance whatever was wrong. She told herself that it was because they needed a hunter, because if he went down in a fight their odds against Dracula would be nothing and they'd be soon to follow him.

She did not tell herself it was because she'd miss him terribly if he died. 

“Nothing, huh,” Trevor said sarcastically, snorting through the nose. “I leave you alone with Alucard for an hour and now you're looking at me like--” he waved a hand in the air, wrinkling his nose. “I don't know actually, that's what's bothering me. What did the sleeping soldier say this time?” 

“Only that your heartbeat is uncommonly loud,” Alucard answered flatly, flaring the fire into existence with a wave of his hand. “It makes my rest difficult.”

Trevor narrowed his eyes and Sypha sighed, rubbing at her forehead and moving away. Knowing them, it would be a while before the banter calmed down and this unexpected worry over Trevor's health was giving her a headache.

“Oh, reaaaaaly? Is that what the fuss is? Can't stand the sound of all this hot, hunter's blood pumping away nearby after a year of silence in your coffin? Just dying for a taste, are you?” he challenged, drawing his dagger and pointing it at the vampire, who, frankly looked bored. He crossed his arms and raised his delicate head a little higher. 

“My control is quite intact, Belmont. Or you wouldn't be. I only assured Sypha that the person approaching was you, as your...distinctive pulse cycle gives you away.” 

Trevor snorted and put his knife away. “Yes, I'll bet it does. Well, I'm sorry my being alive is inconvenient for you, I'm not interested in changing that state just so you can get back to napping.” 

Alucard narrowed his eyes just a little. “Did I ask you to?”

“You didn't have to. You could have been thinking it.”

Alucard waved a hand and rolled his eyes, turning away. “I can't turn you, Belmont. Not while I have a heartbeat of my own. You forget my mother was human. Besides,” he added, sitting next to the fire on a large rock and crossing his legs like he was royalty, “I couldn't stand you for eternity, what makes you think I'd offer you eternal life in exchange for some peace and quiet? That proud heart of yours will burn itself out soon enough.”

Sypha felt her own heart jump at that and she furtively glanced over at the two boys. Did Alucard mean soon as in, a hundred years or soon as in next week? It had been Alucard's idea to work together, wouldn't he be more concerned if he thought their hunter was dying? 

She frowned, studying Trevor. The firelight cast him in a gold-orange light, so she couldn't decide if he looked paler than he should. His jaw was sharp at the top of his strong neck, his jaw muscles clenching visibly as he bared his teeth to snark back. He'd always looked like that, she thought, shaking her head at herself. He hadn't lost weight. At least no more than she had on the trip. 

Trevor narrowed his eyes. “What you have is not life, never mind eternal. I've ended plenty of vampires. And you don't have a heartbeat. No vampire has. If you had a pulse you wouldn't be so interested in mine.”

He lifted a delicate eyebrow, lacing long, pale fingers together. “Do you really delight in conflict so much that you would dane to tell me what I do and do not have?”

“I'm the monster expert and you're just one monster,” Trevor said, pointing at Alucard while chewing on the jerky hanging out one side of his mouth. “That means you lie and I don't. You could tell us anything and we would be more likely to believe you because, far as we know, nothing like you has ever existed before. Not in reality. We have nothing to go on but your word and my reference, and until you can prove otherwise my reference is going to be the one I'm counting on. Nothing with a heartbeat can sleep an entire year and wake up again to argue about it.” 

Sypha rubbed at her temples, sighing as she glared over her shoulder at her companions. How they could still be arguing about something so simple was astonishing to her. 

“Oh for the sake of the maker,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up and moving back into the camping circle. She planted her hands on her hips and turned her exasperation on Trevor. “You do realize this is pointless? And if it is so important for you to know if he is lying, why don't you see for yourself? This is a very easy problem to solve.”

“Because he's a vampire who can vanish into empty space and identify me by my heartbeat at a hundred paces. He can create illusions.”

Sypha stared at him. “So help me Trevor you take an iron stance on the most mundane things--” she turned to Alucard, holding out her hand. “May I?”

The vampire's lips twitched towards a smile and he stood, resting his wrist in her hand. “Of course.”

She pressed her fingers into Alucard's pale skin, feeling tendons fine as violin string shift as she sought the vein. His skin was warmer than she'd expected, but still too cool to be quite human or right.

“It takes a moment,” Alucard said, covering her hand with his own. “There,” he said, just as a faint tingling pulse ran beneath her fingers. 

“That's incredible!” she exclaimed, looking up at him. He gave her a small smile, one that actually managed to soften his appearance for a moment and alter the light in his golden eyes. 

“Oh no, tell me he doesn't actually have a heart beating in there?" Trevor asked, looking despondent at being proven wrong. Sypha smiled and nodded, gripping Alucard's arm with her enthusiasm.

“It feels different than a human pulse—like it is not only the blood moving inside but strong energy as well. May I hear it?” she asked, turning back to Alucard. He shrugged one shoulder.

“I listen to yours all the time; it seems only fair.”

“Oh, so you listen to her heart but mine is annoying,” Trevor griped loudly. 

Sypha ignored him and got very close to Alucard, resting her palms on his ribcage as she lay her head against the middle of his breast. Alucard rest a gentle hand on her arm and she felt his muscles and ribs flex ever so slightly as he drew in breath. 

“He breathes too, for the record,” Sypha said, looking at Trevor without taking her head away from Alucard's chest. She still hadn't heard anything move inside besides his lungs, but a few seconds more and a very clear, healthy-sounding heartbeat met her ear. A ripple of subtle power flowed out with it, and she couldn't quite tell if she was hearing it, feeling it, or sensing it. She pulled away and beamed up at him.

“Thank you,,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “Knowledge is very valuable to my people. I will treasure what you've given me today.” 

She could feel Trevor staring at them across the fire and she looked at him, her irritation quickly coming back. 

“So now playing anatomy lesson with the one of a kind hybrid is some profound discovery? How about you ask him if he needs that heartbeat. I can make notes for the bestiary.” 

“Stop being an ass,” Sypha reprimanded, throwing a chunk of bread at Trevor to go with the last of his meat. “We need to sleep. Having a dhampir on our team is as useful as your being a Belmont and my being a speaker magician. He has advantages and I for one am going to appreciate them instead of threatening to dissect him. For instance, we get to sleep while he watches all night with his perfect vision.” 

“He was verbally dissecting me,” Trevor snarked, tearing into his food as Alucard shook his head and left the circle. 

“I made a simple comment,” the vampire said lightly, folding his arms and leaning against a tree just barely touched by the firelight. “Rest. Both of you. We need to move quickly once there's a hint of daylight.” 

Trevor snorted, finishing his food and taking a long drink from his water skin. He side-eyed Alucard as he drank, purposely craning his neck so it was on full display. Sypha shot him a disgusted look and threw a clod of dirt at him. 

“Stop teasing him.”

Trevor shrugged, putting things away and flopping back into the fluff of his cloak, belching loudly and wiggling until he was comfortable. He laced his fingers across his stomach and sighed. “He's the one who decided we should all travel together. If he can't handle living around humans he's welcome to go solo. We were doing fine before we fell into his bedroom.” 

“And we've been doing better since he's joined us,” Sypha said testily, wrapping up in her cloak. “You never know what he will notice that we cannot.” 

The hunter waved his hand dismissively, his eyes closed. “I've enhanced senses too you know. I can sense his bull from at least a mile off.” 

“Incredible, since you must detect it over the smell of your own,” Alucard said dryly. Trevor's hand closed into a rude gesture but he didn't bother to open his eyes or make further comment. Soon, he was snoring lightly. 

Sypha watched him sleep for a while as the fire died down, wrapped in her robes and lost in thought. She felt eyes on her after a while and she glanced up to see Alucard looking at her.

“What troubles you?” he asked softly, barely visible now that the fire had burned down to cinders.

“Nothing...” she said, though they both knew she was lying through her teeth. 

Alucard's expression barely twitched but eventually he shrugged and turned his attention back to his watch. 

Sypha tried to sleep, but she felt too restless. She tossed, then turned, then turned again before finally sitting up with a huff and staring over the coals at Trevor who had fallen asleep so deeply he wasn't even snoring anymore. His level of comfort annoyed her. Alucard was nowhere to be seen, but that was not unusual. The dhampir often circled the camp or flit further than what a normal watch could safely risk. Sypha had complete faith that he was still guarding them. 

She debated for a moment and then decided she was tired and she didn't want to deal with worrying any more. If Trevor was so cozy, she was going to leech some of that. She went over to him and flopped down at his side, knowing surprising a Belmont in his sleep was a dangerous thing to do. She felt him grunt and shift, and she stared at him until his eye cracked open and glanced at her blearily.

“Uhhhhgggh, tell me it isn't dawn already?” he groaned, tugging at the side of his cloak she wasn't laying on.

“It is not, no.”

He quirked an eyebrow and turned toward her, huffing. “Then why are you awake and why did you drag me into joining you?”

She chewed her lip for a moment, meeting his eyes. “Are you...alright? Truly? You do not feel weaker than usual?” she asked, searching his face. She was met with puzzlement and some irritation.

“No...I feel tired, but that's usually what happens when someone wakes me up.”

“Trevor, please,” she said, gripping his wrist. “Just answer me honestly.” 

He frowned, the annoyance leaving his expression. He sat up just slightly, propping himself up on his elbow. “Sypha, what is this about?” 

“It,” she sighed, sitting up and pulling her robes around her as she avoided his eyes. “It is something Alucard said while you were gone.”

“What? That my heartbeat is too loud for comfort?” he said sarcastically. 

“No...” she looked at him, flushing slightly because now saying it out loud felt paranoid and foolish. “He said your heart does not keep correct time. And then he said that it would tire soon...”

“Oh, is that all?” Trevor asked, looking, of all things, amused. Sypha backpedaled, annoyed. 

“Is that all?? Belmont, we need you alive if we are to fulfill our purpose. Finding out there is something wrong with your heart is the last thing we need.” 

He smiled, the expression softer than usual. “Sypha,” he said gently, taking her hand. “I know my heart doesn't beat quite right. It hasn't since I was a lad.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

He shrugged. “It's never held me back. It isn't weak or damaged, just misses a beat from time to time. Happens more when I'm drunk but it's just an extra thump or two I can feel in here.” He tapped at his chest. He paused, his brows drawing together. “Wow, he really had you worried,” he said, studying her expression. “No wonder you were looking at me funny.”

She avoided his eyes, shrugging and wrapping up in her cloak a little tighter. “He is a vampire, or at least shares the hearing of one. I could not help but worry. I did not know you were aware of it, or even that such a thing could happen.”

“We Belmonts are harder to kill than my family history would lead you to believe. Just because I'm the only one left doesn't mean the rest of my family didn't fight like devils while they were here. When I do die, it won't be because my body betrays me,” he assured, squeezing her wrist and offering her an assuring smile. “It survived Belmont training and a lot more drinking than most men my age manage to do. You don't have to worry about me. Alucard is just blowing smoke half the time.”

“No I'm not.”

Trevor shot a glare at the vampire as he passed the camp on his rounds, but he kept moving. “Bloody shadow,” he grumbled, settling back into his cloak. 

Sypha smiled, feeling marginally better. She was still very tired though, and the fire was completely gone so she shuffled closer to Trevor. He grunted but didn't try to get away from her, actually adjusting himself so she could lay right next to him and share his cloak. 

“I know you don't fear death,” she said, tucking herself into his body and pulling the other half of his cloak over her shoulders, “but I would like very much to see you live beyond our purpose.” 

She felt him hum and could picture his smile, flattening her hands against his chest between their bodies as she snuggled her head against him. 

“Good to know I'm wanted by more than the vampire,” he said, and she smacked his chest. He chuckled, and tucked an arm around her waist. It was a warm, comforting weight against her side and when they finally went still and quiet she noticed his heartbeat against her hands. A strong, welcome pulsing lulled her fears. Her head was resting against his tunic and she turned her ear, seeking out the sound Alucard could find so easily. 

“Wow, it is loud,” she murmured, a small smile finally smoothing the worry lines completely. “Very strong.”

“I told you,” he murmured back, sounding half asleep. The powerful, solid thumping was slowing down as he settled, and it was pulling Sypha with him. Just as she was about to fall asleep there was a pause just a little too long inside his body, and her eyes popped open, her hand closing against his chest as she gripped his tunic. The next beat sounded different, a heavier thud followed by a rapid extra beat, and she felt Trevor huff a sleepy amusement and rub her back. 

“Heard that, didn't you? Relax, I told you it was alright.”

“Your heart just...stopped...”

“For a moment,” he agreed, but he didn't sound the least bit concerned and he kept rubbing his thumb against her back until she relaxed again. “It's settled again. I promise it's been doing this since I was old enough to realize I was made of more than piss and vinegar.” 

She chuckled at that, picturing a little Trevor just as sassy as the adult he'd grown into. “Alright, I can believe that.” 

“You should both rest, dawn is only a few hours off and the hoards have been active tonight,” Alucard said as he passed camp again.

“Bite me, dad,” Trevor grumbled.


End file.
